Matoaka
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: On the Planet Yokai, Ben Tennyson arrives and is attacked by a yokai. Ben kills it before it reaches the village, but its corruption curses his right arm. The curse gives him superhuman strength, but will eventually spread through his body and kill him. He must find a cure to this curse, aided by Princess Mononoke.
1. Hime

The land was covered in an immense forest. The creatures, the yokai and their kami, their gods, ruled over the mighty landscape.

So many kinds of yokai flourished in this land. There was the nature yokai, those with animal forms like the kitsune fox or the Okami wolf.

Another type was the yosei. Tricky, magical creatures full of light, these fae protected the powerful forest.

There were also the elusive yurei. The spirits of the dead that howled through the night and dragged the souls around them into the makai—hell itself.

No ningens had been in Yokai. And why would they need to? It was a spiritual world. It flourished without need for a physical being. Humans could not see all that passed on in the Yokai world; they were so limited.

And yet...the Plumbers ship landed, hoping for an alliance between Earth and Yokai, and knowing they had come into contact with Vilgax some time ago.

Out of the ship walked Earth's hero Ben Tennyson. He wore a green jacket with a number ten on it and jeans. He ran a hand through his neat brown hair. As he looked around with green eyes at the spirits of the earth and sky, he wondered if his watch would be enough to relate to this world.

He was being watched in turn. For deep in the forest lay its hime, its princess, Princess Mononoke.

Mononoke was a beautiful young woman of average build who wore ragged clothing and a cape made of a wolf's fur, and had what appears to be red war paint on her face. She wore a head necklace with a single small gem in her front. She also bore long, straight, ebony hair and had blue eyes with bangs slightly parted in the middle. She had a medium necklace with three fangs tied across her neck. She wore long dangling, oval shaped earrings. She held a decorated dagger. She currently wore a mask. The mask was red with ears and white wavy lines and three yellow holes for a mouth and eyes.

Just what was this world, and what was another human doing here?

Ben moved towards her, but she was already gone.


	2. Cursed

"Welcome to the village." A girl said. "My name is Kiana."

Kiana glowed like the sun, and appeared to be made of light itself.

"I'm the village priestess." Kiana said. "It is good you have come. A kami has gone wild in the forest near here. I only hope you can save us, oh great one."

A great boar stepped on a hut, and the yokai ran outside, clustering with others of their own kind. The yokai of this village appeared to all be like Kiana, varying colors of light.

"We are tenshi." Kiana answered Ben's internal question. "The great guardians of the forest. Please you must stop Nago before she destroys this land with her curse! But you must not kill her, for she is indeed a great Kami."

"Yes, a great Kami." The villagers chanted.

"Ok ok, I got it." Ben said, using his Omnitrix to transform into Jetray.

He flew after Nago, the boar, and hit her with laser beams.

She roared and took off after him.

Her form shimmered, and she appeared to him as a woman. She had brown hair to her shoulders, big brown eyes, pale skin, and she wore a beautiful kimono.

"You will know my rage!" Nago shouted. "Know my CURSE!"

Nago put her forehead to Ben's, and he jerked back, firing on her accidentally and forcing her to the ground.

"She's dead!" Kiana rushed forward as Ben changed back. "Villagers, back! His wound is cursed!"

"Oh nameless God of Rage and Hate, I bow before you. A moung will be raised and funeral rights performed on this ground where you have fallen. Pass on in peace and bear us no hatred." Kiana said.

"Disgusting little creatures. Soon all of you will know my hate, and suffer as I have suffered . . ." Nago said, suffering and dying.

Ben looked at his huge black and pulsating arm, and sighed. "Oh man."


	3. Dead

Kiana examined Ben's arm. "This wound is strange to us. It bears with it a curse. Nago came to us from the west, poisoned and driven mad by something that turned her into a monster."

"Can you do anything to help me?" Ben asked.

"I am afraid I can do nothing." Kiana said. "You are fated to die for what you have done, bringing death to a Kami."

Ben and the villagers gasped, and he watched as they all turned away from him as if he was diseased. So much for gratitude.

"But you needn't die in vain." Kiana said. "Look at this. This iron ball was found in the boar's body. This is what hurt him so. It shattered his bones and burned it's way deep inside her. This is what turned her into a monster. There is evil at work in the land to the West, stranger. It's your fate to go there and see what you can see with eyes unclouded by hate. You may find a way to life the curse. You understand?"

"I understand." Ben said. "And my name is Ben Tennyson. I came here to bring peace between this world and Earth. I can't leave Yokai until my mission is complete. If that means going to the west and stopping some bad guys, then I'm all for it."

"Our laws forbid us from watching you go, Ben Tennyson. Whatever comes to pass now, you are dead to us, forever. . . . Farewell." Kiana said.

Ben sighed as she turned away from him along with all the others. As he turned toward the west and reached out to the Omnitrix, he muttered, "It's Hero Time."


	4. Journey

After flying for a while as Big Chill and Jetray, Ben realized that his wound affected his wing in those forms as well, and settled for a walk and an occasional burst of speed with a faster alien.

He watched through the trees and often caught sight of her; the only girl who looked human here.

Before he had left he'd asked Kiana about her.

"Her name is Princess Mononoke." Kiana had said. "She is our Savior and Protector. She guards the wild lands from those who would destroy nature and defile our kami. She is no human—Mononoke is a wild creature. One with nature. A true yokai."

Ben would see for himself. If she was human, and even if not, he needed to see her. Surely if he could win their Savior to his side then they would see that he wasn't really cursed.

And even if he was cursed, maybe she could help him.

Princess Mononoke watched him through the trees, her blue eyes meeting his green ones.

She looked like an ordinary girl, maybe like a Native American.

Her eyes traveled to his wound, then widened.

Ben watched her mouth form the word "Ju-on."

Then she was gone again, as he tripped and smacked straight into a smiling ginger girl with big red ears and a floofy tail.

"Hey now! You're lucky that Princess Mononoke isn't a kitsune." The girl said. "Because with all the time you spent looking at her; by now she would have made off with all of your valuables and left you alone and penniless, you foolish ningen!"

The girl laughed. "If you believe the tales. I'm Reiko—and I'm a kitsune."


	5. Foxy

"So you were cursed by a kami?" Reiko said.

"That's right." Ben said.

"You're really from the stars then?" Reiko said. "What's Earth like?"

"Crowded and full of humans." Ben said. "How do I undo this curse?"

"You need the aid of another kami." Reiko said.

"Where can I find one?" Ben asked.

They were now on the outskirts of Irontown. Ben looked at the industrial place and his curse pained him. Was it hurting this planet and that was why?

"There is a Forest Kami in the forest beyond Irontown." Reiko said. "But be warned. That is Princess Mononoke's land."

"Princess Mononoke...who is she?" Ben said.

"She one of the okami—that's a wolf, or so it is said, next to be their leader." Reiko said.

"So...a real wolf princess." Ben said. "I can't wait to meet Princess Mononoke."


	6. Attack

As Ben made it to Irontown, he saw a large wolf attack the men.

"It's Moro, the wolf goddess!" They cried, running into the forest.

Riding on one of the wolves was Princess Mononoke.

She turned her big blue eyes to Ben's green eyes. He saw loneliness and pain in her eyes.

Then she drove her knife into a man's arm, and Ben knew he had to act.

Before she could finish him Ben got between them. "You have to stop. You are human too."

Mononoke growled at him. "I hate humans! They defile the forest! Look at the poison they pour out!"

She lifted a gun. "You...you should understand, Ben 10. You have been all and seen. So how can you defend them!"

"Because it's the right thing!" Ben said.

"Is that so?" Mononoke said. "If you will not listen to me, then listen to the curse on your arm. What does it tell you?"

Mononoke and Moro left into the forest, and Ben was surrounded by bodies.


	7. Life and Death

Ben lifted the two injured men and helped them through the forest.

All the while he knew he was following her laugh through the trees.

How could he do that?

Wasn't she the one who injured them?

So why did he demand an answer?

Perhaps it was this curse in his arm, this magic that called him to the wolf girl.

He discovered her again at the waterfall as he and the men collapsed.

As Ben lay in the water he saw all the kodama lighting up.

As they lit up the Forest Spirit entered the clearing and looked at them, then vanished.

"Princess Mononoke was that the—" Ben said.

Mononoke put her finger to her lips. "Shh..."


	8. Irontown

Ben entered Irontown followed by a large group of people applauding his bravery at saving the villagers.

"Is it true you saw the Forest Spirit? And Princess Mononoke?" A woman said.

"Yes I saw them. But I think you guys have it wrong. They helped me and—"

"Lady Eboshi will want to see you!" The woman said. "She loves the idea of anyone who can help her get the one up on Vilgax."

Ben was startled. Did she just say—

"Who is this Vilgax?" Ben feigned innocence.

"He is the daimyo who lords over all of us, stealing or profits and the advances we make. We all hate him. Lady Eboshi is our savior. With her power we will finally defeat Vilgax!" The woman said.

"Yes...with someone power for sure." Ben said. "It might just be Hero Time..."


	9. Eboshi

"Tell me about Mononoke." Ben said.

"Mononoke was once a villager here like the rest of us." Eboshi said.

"She was? Well then how did she end up..."

Eboshi helped him to the couch and placed a tray of food in front of him. "A feral beast-child?"

Eboshi drank her wine. "Oh it's quite alright. Mana, the wolf yokai, found Mononoke alone, in a burned up cottage, and took her for her own pup. Or so the story goes."

"I see." Ben said.

"Now tell me of your arm, boy." Eboshi said.

"It was cursed by Nago, the boar yokai." Ben said.

Ben remembered that he couldn't use his Omnitrix because of the curse, but didn't tell Eboshi that.

There was a loud sound outside the walls and suddenly a howl.

"AWOOOO!" Mononoke stood at the edge of the village, and Mana and the other wolves were with her.

"It's hero time." Ben said.


	10. Howling

Ben leapt into action.

He took a sword and attacked Mononoke and her wolves.

"What are you going to do? Kill them? You're one of them yourself!" Ben said.

"I am a wolf!" Mononoke shouted. "You are wrong!"

Ben parried her attack with his blade and fought against her. "Send the wolves back!"

"I will not!" Mononoke said. "This town is killing the forest!"

"They can change just please—" Ben attempted.

"AWOOO!" Mononoke's howl shattered all the windows and terrified all the townspeople.

"You've really got to stop this!" Ben said.

He hit her with the back of the sword and knocked her out.


End file.
